


Yahoo!

by musketrois (B_kate)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - America, Embarrassment, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love Confessions, M/M, New York City, No Sex, No Smut, Pining, Roommates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 04:29:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17481188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_kate/pseuds/musketrois
Summary: I think I’m in love with my roommate???? Harry typed into the question box.Oh, shit. Love? Did he love Louis? This question was already turning out different than he originally planned. He continued typing before delving into that thought process.orHarry turns to the Internet for romantic advice.





	Yahoo!

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this fic came from Episode 139 of My Brother, My Brother and Me. If you ever feel down, pic a random episode and give it a listen.
> 
> Thank you to [Nic](http://louandhazaf.tumblr.com/) for editing this work.

Harry apprehensively sat on the couch in the living room. In the last ten minutes, he had checked his phone more than five times. Today was the day his new roommate, Louis, was moving in and he was anxious to meet him. Even with a glowing reference from Niall and a pay stub to prove he could pay his half of the bills, Harry was nervous about what type of person the other man would turn out to be.

It was fifteen minute after the hour Louis was supposed to arrive when Harry checked his phone again. He impatiently typed out a message asking Louis’ ETA and had his thumb hovering over the send button when he heard a knock on the apartment’s front door.

Harry jumped off the couch and ran to the door. When he swung it open, a man with flushed cheeks and windswept brown hair stood before him.

“Hi, I’m LouisI You must be Harry.” Louis enthusiastically offered his hand for a shake.

Harry gingerly shook the man’s hand. “I am Harry. Do you need any help bringing your things up?”

“No need! If you show me where my rooms is, I’ll be able to guide the movers where they need to go. They should be here soon.”

“Oh! What company did you use?”

“I put an ad up on craigslist and found some guys willing to help in exchange for some beer money!” came the chipper reply.

Harry stopped in his tracks and turned to face Louis. “You what?” he indignantly squawked.

“Craigslist?” Louis repeated, startled. 

“You gave some random strangers in New York City our address?”

Louis looked sheepish, but didn’t back down. “Relax. If they turn around and rob us, I’ll take care of it. People get things done through Craigslist everyday.”

“You’ll take care of it,” Harry flatly replied.

When all Louis did was smile in response, Harry let out a defeated huff and continue to the man’s new room. Once the door was open, Louis breezed past him to the room’s window. Harry might as well not have been there. 

“This will do,” Louis said to himself while gazing out the third story window. 

Harry cleared his throat. “Well. If you need any help, or you’re being murdered by the men you’ve hired, let me know.”

Louis laughed at Harry’s dry humor. The noise wasn’t as airy as when he spoke, but the uninhibited joy mixed with the crinkles by Louis’ eyes made Harry’s stomach drop in pleasure. Rather than informing him that he was half serious, Harry gave Louis an awkward wave before hurriedly hiding himself in his own room.

Harry laid on his bed with a book trying to ignore some of the loud crashes coming from outside his door while Louis got settled. It was almost a relief Louis didn’t need his help, because it meant no stilted conversations with Louis or the Craigslist guys.

He didn’t realize he had drifted off to sleep until a knock at his door woke him.

“Yeah?” Harry called.

He only caught a few words through the wooden barrier and he couldn’t parse what the combination of ‘done’ and ‘if you want’ meant.

“You can open the door!” he called after more muffled sounds came from Louis.

The door swung open to reveal a freshly showered Louis. Harry averted his eyes to avoid staring too long at his starling blue eyes and long eyelashes.

“Sorry! Just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to get some dinner together? Roommate icebreakers and all that,” Louis explained.

Harry sat up and ran a hand through his no doubt messy curls. “Sounds great. Let me put some shoes on and then we can go to the restaurant around the corner. They’ve got great burgers and shakes, promise.”

Once Harry had put his hair in order and slipped on a pair of boots, he met Louis in their living room and led him to Nina’s. A waitress sat them at a booth and handed them menus before giving them time to decide what they wanted. As soon as she stepped away, the silence between the two men thickly settled. 

Harry cleared his throat. “So, why did you decide to move to Upper Manhattan? Niall never mentioned it.”

A smile broke across Louis’ face. Harry wondered if it was at the mention of Niall or the simple fact Harry had opened the conversation first.

“I’m about to start an MFA for film! I was living in the Bowery and wanted to be closer to the CCNY campus. Thankfully Niall made apartment hunting easier for me.”

Louis’ happy smile didn’t melt when he finished talking and Harry couldn’t help but notice the rose pink of Louis’ lips and how they complimented the red of his perfectly trimmed scruff.

“What aspect of film? I do photography on the side.”

“My goal is to bring queer stories into the media. I love writing, so I’m leaning toward a concentration in screenwriting.”

The defiant look on Louis’ face told Harry he would give Harry the tongue lashing of the century if he said anything against the LGBT community or his career choice.

“Nice! We need more stories that involve more than white cis gay men and don’t end in tragedy.” Harry hoped he was conveying that he was also a member of the LGBT+ community. 

Understanding flashed through Louis’ eyes as his face softened at Harry’s words. “Exactly,” Louis replied.

The rest of the meal was lovely, in Harry’s opinion. Louis started opening up more, which made Harry internally sigh in relief. Even with Niall putting in a good word, it’s not always easy to figure out the kind of person a new roommate will be. Harry had had his fair share of horrible roommates during his first years of college.

As the pair stumbled while giggling on their way back home, Harry decided living with Louis Tomlinson would not be a bad thing at all.

-

August was spent getting to know each other and becoming comfortable sharing space. Harry learned Louis’ small quirks, which included kicking his shoes off and leaving them wherever they landed and falling asleep on the couch at least twice a week. For Harry’s part, Louis let him know that he needed to clean his long hair from the bathroom drains as well as stop leaving the dirty dishes from his baking experiments sitting on the counter.

Besides trivial things that cropped up when living with someone new, the two men got easily got along. It sometimes blew Harry’s mind that he hadn’t known Louis since moving to New York City four years before since they ran in the same circles of friends. 

Even though heat waves slowly stifled the bustling streets of the city, the pair usually spent a portion of the evening with a hot cup of tea at the dining table as the setting sun cast their street in a vibrant pink hue. Once they found they both enjoyed unwinding at the end of the day in the same way, chats at their small table became a common occurrence. 

“How did your meeting go with the teacher you’re assisting this year?” Harry asked as he slid into the chair across from Louis at their small table.

Louis shrugged. “Fine, I guess. It will mostly be me taking attendance, grading tests. She said when she’s away, she’ll let me lecture her intro film class.”

“Stop being modest. That’s great!” Harry proceeded to lightly kick Louis’ under the table as a reprimand for under-playing his achievement. 

“But what I really want to know is how Carol was after her blow up yesterday,” Louis told Harry conspiratorial. 

He worked in HR for a non-profit that provided housing for low income families. His stories were never as elaborate or juicy as Louis made them out to be, but Harry was always willing to indulge Louis’ legitimate curiosity. Harry giggled at Louis’ dramatic tone before launching into his own dramatic rendition of his work day.

Things began changing by September. The men had only known each since July, but it sometime felt as if they had known each other for years. Harry began joining Louis on the couch when he was watching obscure movies. Usually it was Harry, but often one or both of them would fall asleep. Harry always woke up with a throw blanket tucked around him. When he mentioned sleeping on the couch wasn’t good on his back, Louis would wake him with gentle nudges and soft words until Harry stumbled his was into his room.

They also spent time at the same table silently working on their own projects. Harry wrote poetry and short stories he posted on his personal blog while Louis worked on homework or a screenplay he hope to film someday. Every once in a while their silence was broken by the other asking for an opinion on word choice or the plot. The peaceful atmosphere was becoming Harry’s favorite time, along with the continuation of evening tea.

He wasn’t sure how such a thing was possible, but Harry quickly discovered at the very beginning that Louis made the best tea. The problem with that was Louis was a grumpy morning person. Dragging him out of bed to make them morning tea became impossible. Instead, Harry was forced to learn how to make the hot beverage. When Louis declared that Harry had finally achieved perfection, their morning routine changed.

Harry would rouse Louis with a cup of tea in bed. They would sit there sipping their drinks while mindlessly watching something on Louis’ laptop or reading books together. After a night out, the table might flip. Louis would drag himself to Harry’s bed and after dozing together he would demand Harry make them breakfast or go for late brunch.

-

October brought in even more signs that they were becoming fast friends and were comfortable in each others’ presence. Rather than sitting on opposite ends of the couch, the men tangled together in a warm cuddle while Louis openly criticized whatever they were watching. If one of them fell asleep, it was inevitable that they’d wake up gently holding each other.

They began realizing that, aside from Louis’ obscure movie taste, they had a lot of similarities. Both enjoyed writing and found each other knowing the same songs on their respective Spotify playlists. Louis loathed mornings, but playing soccer had taught him to enjoy running. Sometimes Harry would successfully drag Louis out of his cozy blanket cocoon for a run around Riverside Park before the people and heat showed up. Louis would never admit he enjoyed the early morning banter. 

Most important of all was their shared sense of humor, which other people considered strange. Harry’s dry delivery of less-than-positive jokes was often commented on as inappropriate by those who weren’t close friends. Even Niall sometimes stoically told them they weren’t funny while they cried laughing over something no one else understood. 

When they could spare time at work or home, the men enjoyed listening to comedy podcasts. There was one in particular Louis loved and Harry would stick around for a few laughs if Louis had it playing aloud in the apartment. 

The premise of the show was that three brothers gave advice by answering listeners’ questions as well as usually nonsensical questions found on Yahoo!. Harry worried on more than one occasion that Louis was going to pass out from lack of oxygen while laughing at the ridiculous show. 

Nights out after a long week also became common. They would meet up with Niall and another mutual friend, Liam, for a round of drinks on a Friday or Saturday. Sometimes Louis would go home with someone. More rarely Harry would do the same. It wasn’t a problem, until it was.

-

Since neither of their families were big on celebrating Thanksgiving, they decided to stay in the city for the holiday.

For the big Thursday, they ordered in from a panini place down the street. Harry avidly watched his Green Bay Packers play while Louis decided which player had the best butt. By Saturday evening, they were bored enough to expel some of their cabin fever by having a few drinks at a local bar.

It started out with a shot of fireball and a bottle of Budweiser. Harry considered himself a social person, but he had nothing on Louis, especially when it involved alcohol. Louis attached them to another group of men. 

Harry began talking to a man named Aidan. A few more drinks and hours later, Harry had gone from tipsy to tired. It was the time of night where he either fell asleep while eating at a taqueria, or dozed on the train ride home.

Louis had been glued to his side for the start of their night, but at some point had disappeared with someone in the small group. Harry looked around for Louis so they could head home. Right as he pulled his phone out to text him, Louis showed up out of breath. 

“Hazza! I’m gonna head out with Nick. Are you alright to make it back to ours?”

Usually, Harry was fine going home without Louis. This time, his stomach sank. Nick came up and linked his fingers with Louis’ and Harry swore his stomach made its way down to his toes at the sight. 

“I’m good to go! Text me tomorrow, yeah?” Harry hoped his voice was jovial instead of laced with the dread he was feeling.

Harry watched as Nick whispered something in Louis’ ear and Louis giggled in response. Harry’s brain instantly went on red alert. Harry should be the only one to make Louis laugh like that, not a man he met a handful of hours ago. He felt his smile get tighter.

Nick began tugging on Louis’ hand. Louis gave Harry one last giddy smile before turning away for the night.

As Harry lay in bed that night, the vision of Nick and Louis was seared in his mind.

-

A week later, December arrived and Louis let no one forget that it was the month he originally blessed the earth with his presence.

Harry gladly indulged the spoiled man while continuing to struggle with the new feelings that he had not realized were slowly overtaking him. Sometimes he felt light in Louis’ presence. Other times, he suffocated and there was no reason why. They had quickly developed a close friendship, but when the weight of his emotions came up, Harry couldn’t help but feel there was still something missing between them.

Although Louis had spent the better part of three weeks terrorizing Harry and their friends group about his birthday, the celebration itself was low-key. The weekend before Louis’ actual Christmas Eve birthday, they trekked to a bar in Soho, which was nicer than their usual haunts,.

It was a night of laughter before they all went their separate ways for the holidays. Louis cozily tucked himself into Harry’s side while the food arrived and drink flowed. 

Harry splurged on a taxi ride for the two of them back to the apartment. When they arrived, he presented Louis a homemade birthday cake, which the tipsy men delightedly devoured. Louis wandered to his own bedroom while Harry cleaned up their cake mess. After brushing his teeth and washing his face Harry went to bed..

It was a surprise when he turned on his bedroom light and there was a Louis-shaped lump in his bed. 

“Turn the light off, Haz. It’s time for bed,” Louis grumbled.

“Um— you’re in my bed.”

“I know. It’s my birthday and I want to have a sleepover.”

Harry signed with no real annoyance. “You’ve got another week until your birthday.”

Louis pouted at him. When he lifted the blanket on the empty side of the bed, Harry gave in to the soft boy by turning off the lights and climbing into bed beside him. Once he had settled, Louis wrapped himself around Harry.

“Thank you,” he breathed against Harry’s neck. 

He ignored the knots in his stomach and rationally told himself to relax. It wasn’t like this was the first time they’ve comfortably slept in the same bed. Harry didn’t know why his heart was racing at finding Louis in his bed demanding a “sleepover.”

Maybe they needed some time apart. Not just a break from their daily routines together, but a break from each other’s presence. 

By the time Harry felt himself succumbing to sleep, he had convinced himself that their time apart over the holidays was just what they needed. By the time Harry came back in the new year, all the strange feelings would be gone and he could act like a normal person around Louis again. 

-

Refreshed. That was the word Harry would use to describe his overall demeanor coming back from the holiday. He had gotten to spend over a week away from work basking in his mom’s loving attention and lounging around in sweatpants with a book all day. 

Sure, most of Louis’ texts to him had gone unanswered, but he could always blame that on family time. The time spent in a lazy haze of nothing allowed Harry to ignore his feelings.  
He unlocked the apartment door truly believing he was right about simply needing time away from Louis. This surety flew out the window as soon as he walked through the door.

Louis was wrapped in a copious amount of blankets on the couch reading a book. Two steaming cups of tea were sitting on the coffee table. Not only did Louis look irresistibly cuddly, he knew Harry was on his way home and had thoughtfully prepared him a drink. Not even Niall would do that for him. The wall he had built between himself and his feelings for Louis’ was busted down by the simple act of kindness. 

As he settled beside Louis on the couch and returned his wide, joyful smile, Harry admitted that there was a possibility he might have a crush on Louis that might not go away anytime soon.

-

Harry’s instant reaction to his revelation was worry that he was going to ruin their friendship. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Louis did not feel the same way Harry did. It would be embarrassing if Louis ever figured out that Harry like him as more than a friend. 

From then on, Harry was overly conscious of how he acted around Louis. He was cautious about accidentally touching hands when passing the remote or handing Louis his tea.

Cuddling on the couch ended. Harry always made sure he had his laptop or was busy on his phone to discourage Louis from getting comfortable with him. He was extra vigilant about not falling asleep in the living room. Weekend mornings together did not end, because Louis made sure they didn’t. The first morning Harry didn’t crawl into his bed, Louis burst through Harry’s door with tea.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“I thought we could sleep in today?” Harry cringed at his cover up sounding like a question rather than fact. 

“If wanted some time alone, you could have just told me.” Louis faux pouted.

“No! I always want to spend time with you.”

“Then text me next time you want to “sleep-in.” Now, budge up.”

With that, Harry was resigned to having Louis kicking down his door every time Harry tried distancing himself from their weekend tradition.

It was hard, but as he did over Winter Vacation, Harry no longer answered all of Louis’ texts. He felt guilty over it. However, he came to the conclusion that it was better than Louis figuring out Harry’s feeling.

Louis wouldn’t find out and Harry would stop acting like a middle schooler besotted with the person who sat next to him in class. Eventually, Louis would get use to spending less time with Harry and the whole thing would be behind them.

-

The celebration for Harry’s birthday was radically different than Louis’ had been. Harry decided instead of going somewhere, he wanted all of his friends over for a night of drinking games and pizza from V&T’s. Similar to Harry’s birthday cake surprise for Louis, Louis had gone all the way down to Washington Square to pick cupcakes up for Harry from DŌ. Harry, in his inebriated state cried over the sweet treat before sharing with everyone present. He allowed himself to not push Louis away for the night. It was Harry’s birthday present to himself.

Once everyone had their fill of the celebration, they trickled out until it was once again just Louis and Harry in their apartment. Harry was still wide awake after the festivities and the mess of beer bottles and other party debris was already starting to bother him. He pulled a whining Louis off the couch and forced him to help clean up now rather than when they had raging hangovers the next day. Both were significantly drunk, which actually made the process more fun and filled with their comfortable banter. 

Two full trash bags were placed by the front door for disposal the next day before the two men collapsed on the couch. Harry’s drunkenness had dulled to a pleasant buzz. As he sat there with Louis draped across his lap in the dim light coming from the hall, all Harry could do was vacantly smile at nothing in contentment. 

In his haze, Harry appreciate how they could sit in each other’s presence without speaking. They knew each other well enough that they didn’t need to fill the space around them with words. 

“Haz?”

Harry hummed in response.

“Why have you been avoiding me?”

The question caught him off guard. Sure, he hadn’t been the most subtle about creating distance, but Louis hadn’t indicated he was bothered by it.

“I’m not avoiding you,” Harry denied.

Louis abruptly sat up in order to give Harry the full force of his disbelieving gaze.

“You rarely text me and you avoid touching me at all cost. Most importantly, you no longer care about our tea time. I can’t even remember the last time we shared a pot after a long day. Each weekend, I feel like I’m intruding on you rather than us spending time together.”

If Harry could guarantee he never saw the unsure look of hurt on Louis’ face, he would make any promise he could no matter what happened to Harry himself. Someone could request his soul in exchange for Louis’ perpetual happiness, and Harry would more-than-gladly comply. 

“Work has been a bit hectic. Our director is leaving and we’re in the middle of hiring someone new. I guess I may have been a bit absent minded lately…”

“I’ll say,” Louis dryly answered.

Harry wanted to ease the insecurities he had inadvertently created, but he was still managing to mess up. He gently took one of Louis’ hands in his own.

“I’m sorry, Lou. I didn’t realize my stress caused me to push everyone around me away. I promise it’s nothing you’ve done. You refusing to let me hide myself away has kept me from becoming a shut-in.”

Louis comfortingly wrapped his arms around Harry and pressed his face into Harry’s neck.

“Next time, talk to me about what’s going on in that head of yours, yeah?”

“Promise.”

It felt horrible lying, but the fond smile Louis’ gave before he hugged him made Harry feel better. Harry was royally screwed. 

He never wanted to push Louis away, Harry had thought it would be better for his romantic feelings. It was pure luck that he had found himself a stubborn friend who was willing to fight for their friendship rather than let it slide away. 

Eventually, Louis laid down again and Harry silently resumed playing with his silky hair. Louis let out soft snuffles as Harry’s touch lulled him to sleep.

When Harry was sure Louis was asleep, he carefully lifted Louis’ upper body, slid off the couch, and then settled the man back on a pillow. He shakily got to his feet and walked to his room where he peeled his clothes off and fell into bed.

Now that he was alone, Harry took stock of himself. There was enough alcohol still in his system that Harry felt as if he was not a part of the room. He was on his own plane of existence with only his thoughts.

So. Trying to get rid or ignore his feelings by staying away from Louis clearly had backfired. And honestly, Harry didn’t want to put their friendship on hold because of his feelings. 

Harry bounced his arms and legs on the bed a few times to disperse his pent up frustration. He needed someone who didn’t know Louis to give him advice. That would be impossible with how their friend groups had meshed over the last few months.

Louis was always listening to that advice podcast. The majority of questions were terrible, but people seemed to seriously answer them. What was it people used to ask the internet things? Google? Yes. But also no. That wasn’t a public forum. Reddit? Harry laughed to himself, because he instantly knew it was wrong.

Yahoo!? With a possible answer in mind, Harry sat up and pulled his laptop off of his bedside table.

Once it was open and his eyes had adjusted to the screen’s bright light, Harry sloppily typed “yahoo questions” into the internet search bar. He gave a joyous whoop when Yahoo! Answers was the top suggestion.

_I think I’m in love with my roommate????_ Harry typed into the question box. 

Oh, shit. Love? Did he love Louis? This question was already turning out different than he originally planned. He continued typing before delving into that thought process. 

_Additional Details:_

__

__

_I have a crush on my roommate. My stomach gets fluttery when he’s near. I stopped talking to him to get rid of the feelings. But then he noticed! I think my feeling are only getting worse. All I want to do is watch movies with him and pet his soft hair._

_What does this mean? Need advice immediately!!!_

Harry’s drunk eyes were getting heavy with sleep. He carefully read back over the message to try catching any drunk typos. Once satisfied, he submitted the post under the name “harry.”

He had no answers yet, but putting his dilemma into the world made him feel marginally better. With that, Harry closed the browser, turned off his laptop, and curled up in bed. There was no more time to think, because his mind instantly shut off for sleep.

-

After Louis’ confrontation, Harry was able to go back to interacting with Louis as if nothing happened. Louis was kind enough to not comment on the complete 360 Harry put him through. Harry tried to slowly insert himself back into their friendship, but found it impossible. He had missed Louis and didn’t fully realize how much keeping himself away from their friendship had weighed on his heart. And if Harry made up for it by baking a few batches of cookies and some cakes, he would take some of it to work and say the office was in a sweet-eating mood.

For the most part, everything clicked back into place. Harry still had his feelings, but he stopped letting them dictate his friendship with Louis. If Louis found out about Harry’s embarrassingly large crush, he would deal with it when the time came.

Harry came home from work one evening to Louis cleaning the mound of dishes they had neglected over the last few days. Harry, in over his head as he was, couldn’t help it when he stopped to admire Louis. He watched from the door as Louis let out exuberant laughs in response to the podcast he had loudly playing. It was obvious Louis didn’t hear Harry arrive over the cacophony of the podcast and dishes.

He had already pulled his shoes off and was placing his work bag at the dining table when Harry realized what podcast Louis was listening to and his world exploded into a million tiny pieces of confetti. 

“I’ve got a Yahoo! Question here. It was asked a month ago. Can you believe people still use this hell site?” Harry heard when he was about to interrupt Louis to announce his arrival. Harry paused at the familiar mention of Yahoo!

In an exaggeratedly bewildered voice, the same person on the podcast said, “Yahoo! user Harry asks, I think I’m in love with my roommate????”

Cold dread swept over Harry as soon as the question was asked. Suddenly, he clearly remembered asking that very question to the internet the night of his birthday party. The reality of Louis hearing his drunken internet love confession slammed into him. Harry didn’t stick around to hear the rest of the podcast’s bit. Before they could discuss his question’s additional details, Harry snatched his bag from the dining chair and silently made a beeline to his room before Louis could see the look on his face and make the connection that he was the question asker.

It took awhile for Harry to calm down and convince himself there was no way Louis knew he was the one who asked the question. The lack of him busting down Harry’s door to laugh at him was proof enough. Harry turned on a guided meditation to further bring himself back to the present.

He could hear Louis moving around the apartment but didn’t dare venture out from his hiding place. It was a good thing he brought his bag with him, which had a plethora of snacks he had taken to work that day inside. Harry had cauliflower puffs and cashews for dinner. He chose not to dwell on his unwillingness to face Louis despite his previous conviction that Louis didn’t know.

Louis sent a text asking where he was. He texted back that he was in his room but had a rough day and needed some time to himself. Harry felt super guilty giving Louis a half truth but he knew it was the best way to avoid Louis while also having him not worry about Harry’s absence. He spent the rest of the evening alternating between reading and staring at his ceiling wondering how this was his life.

Once it was past the time Louis usually went to sleep, Harry snuck out of his room for a shower and then crawled back into bed. Whenever Harry had a night of feeling low, he knew he would feel better again after a full night of sleep. Usually, he could easily tell himself that things would work themselves out, no matter how difficult. This time, Harry spent the night tossing around with worry gnawing at him. He was feeling pretty un-optimistic about everything turning out for the better. 

-

The rest of the week was as normal as could be. For harry, at least. The night after Harry’s mini crisis over the podcast, Harry picked up some groceries to make him and Louis dinner. He fully expected to get full on pasta and then force Louis to watch some crap reality TV with him.

Louis was quiet during the meal. It was close to midterms, so Harry figured he was stressed about the projects he had due. Harry became concerned when Louis wasn’t his usual exuberant self while they watched _Vanderpump Rules_. No matter how adamant Louis was that he hated reality shows, he was always willing to throw out snarky comments on how the people in the shows acted. 

With all of his own conflicting emotions swirling around, Harry decided the best course of action was to give Louis space. If something was bothering him, Louis knew Harry would always be there to listen and provide dubious advice. Nothing changed in their routine but a more reserved version of Louis replaced the man’s usually loud personality. As more days passed with Louis in a contemplative silence, Harry battled to keep his anxiety at bay. Now he knew how Louis felt during Harry’s own period of avoidance. However, Harry was determined to not let his intrusive thoughts run wild and instead allow Louis to come around when he decided to. Just when Harry thought he had a handle on his feelings for his roommate, life had to shake everything up.

The first week of April, Harry was convinced Louis found out through the podcast that Harry was in love with him. It was obvious that Louis didn’t want to hurt Harry’s feelings and that was why he had been acting different.

Harry was thinking about this and how he could possibly fix the awkward situation his heart had put them in one morning while they laid in Louis’ bed mindlessly binging a new show. All Harry wanted to do was wrap the two of them up in several of Louis’ blankets but he couldn’t, because Louis was practically falling off the bed in his quest to not touch Harry.

“I think I’m gonna go read, or something…” Harry trailed off.

Louis’ eyes widened and he then sat up. “You don’t have to leave. We can watch something else if you’re not liking this.”

“Um…” Harry paused to think. Now was the time for him to be honest. There was no point in their friendship if they couldn’t freely discuss their feelings. 

“It just seems like you don’t want to hang out this morning,” Harry told Louis.

“What? Why do you think that?” Louis sounded truly offended by Harry’s statement.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. You’ve been a bit withdrawn lately and this morning you’re about to strain something trying to stay away from me.” He had started this conversation being honest, he might as well continue even if the upset look Louis was giving him felt like a stab in the gut.

“Shit, Haz,” Louis said as he rubbed a hand through his hair.

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know if I did something wrong or if school is overwhelming but something is bothering you. You can always talk to me about whatever is going on and I’ve been giving you time to talk about it or work through it on your own. It’s like you’re physically present but your mind isn’t here.”

Louis’ eyebrow scrunched together in thought while Harry spoke. When he was done talking, Harry waited a moment for Louis to gather himself and respond. The awkward silence made it clear to Harry that Louis had nothing to say at the moment.

“Right. That’s why I think I’ll go to my own room. I don’t care if it takes hours or weeks, just know you can talk to me about whatever whenever.”

Harry flung his legs off the side of the bed and was preparing to stand up when Louis gently closed a hand around Harry’s wrist.

“Wait. I’m ready to talk now, if that’s okay?”

Harry turned toward Louis. “Of course.”

“First off, you’re absolutely right about something being on my mind. And I’m sorry that I checked out because of it. You don’t deserve that.”

“At least I understand how you felt a few months ago.” Harry stiltedly laughed to try and break some of the serious toned tension.

“Which is why I shouldn’t have shutdown. What’s been taking up my focus has to do with you, actually.”

Fear swept over Harry and settled into his stomach. He felt hot and cold all at once. This was it. It was the moment Louis confronted him about his internet love connection. He felt uncomfortable around Harry now and was planning on moving out. 

Harry wet his lips before choking out a weak “Yeah?” as an indication for Louis to continue.

“I was listening to the advice podcast and they answered a question a few weeks ago that put a whole lot into perspective for me.”

There was no way Harry could speak, his mouth was so dry after that sentence. Thankfully Louis was ready to spill his burdens. 

“The person was wondering if they were in love with their roommate. I’ll admit I laughed at first, but the more they got in it, the more it made me think. Their confession was frantic and simple. Yet… I understood what they were saying, because it is the same way I feel around you.”

Harry’s mind was racing. “What are you saying?”

“I’m in love with you, Harry.”

“You’re kidding,” Harry said in disbelief.

When Louis’ face immediately fell, Harry frantically grabbed his hand.

“No, no, no. I’m the question asker.” At this point, Harry could feel tears gathering at the corner of his eyes over the absurdity of the situation.

Louis’ face was the definition of disbelief. “Are you being serious? That’s not a funny joke.”

“I wrote it after you fell asleep the night of my birthday party. Writing it made me realize I’m irrevocably in love with you.”

Both men gave watery laughs.

“I can’t believe it took a comedy podcast to make everything click for me. Why did you never say anything?”

“Our friendship means so much to me, I was afraid my feelings would ruin it.”

“Even if I didn’t return the feelings, I’d still want to stay friends. We haven’t known each other for a year, yet I can’t imagine going back to a life without you in it.”

Harry felt his cheeks warm over the sincerity of Louis’ words. 

“Really?” Harry whispered as he leaned closer to the man he still couldn’t believe loved him.

“Really,” Louis gave a soft smile as he also leaned closer to Harry.

“I’d like to kiss you now,” Harry said practically against Louis’ lips.

“Please do.”

Harry watched as Louis’ long eyelashes fall closed before pressing his lips to Louis’. Harry had been so caught up in his personal emotional upheaval that he had never stopped to imagine what kissing him would be like. The gentle press of their lips together sent sparks shooting down Harry’s arms and back. It was as if he were being bathed in a liquid fire of joy just from kissing Louis. The feeling was lightning in a bottle and Harry hoped he got to experience it forever.

They eventually pulled away from each other. The look of pure awe on Louis’ face confirmed to Harry that he had experienced the same otherworldly feeling. 

The kiss had locked everything into place for them. It was overtly cliche and Harry wanted to roll his eyes at the fact that his own life had turned out like the plethora of romantic movies he made Louis watch with him.

Without speaking, the pair wrapped themselves in a blanket, arranged themselves where they fit perfectly together, and resumed the paused show on Louis’ laptop. The rest of the day was spent in a perfect harmony of tv, kisses, and giddily whispered I love yous.

They still needed to discuss how jumping from friends to being in love with each other was going to work but, as far as Harry was concerned, they had all the time in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated!
> 
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> 
> [Rebloggable Tumblr Post.](http://musketrois.tumblr.com/post/182168573577)


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